Ed McMahon passes away at 86:

Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick who’s “Heeeeeeerre’s Johnny!” became a part of the vernacular, has died.

McMahon’s publicist, Howard Bragman, said Tuesday McMahon passed away peacefully at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center shortly after midnight.

McMahon had suffered a number of health problems in recent years, including a neck injury caused by a 2007 fall. In 2002, McMahon sued various insurance companies and contractors over mold in his house; he later collected a $7 million settlement.

McMahon was a WWII and Korea Marine veteran, and one of the last great pitchmen from the golden age of the craft.

This entry was posted by by Mitch Berg on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 7:58 am and is filed under Memoriam. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.